Anyone who is having troubles should pray. ... When a believing person prays, great things happen. -James 5:13,16 NCV

Please pray for Jill and her Family

9/1 Update: Jill passed away last night. Here are a few words from her husband Cliff:

Jill died this evening. It was an incredibly difficult, surreal evening. Jill had myself, Jeri, Megan and Joel here with her. It was hard to watch her struggle at the end but it has been hard to watch her struggle since May 2004. We now need to deal with our sadness but rejoice with her lack of pain and suffering. We four kept telling her it was OK to leave so she could be free!

Please visit Jill's blog to read the rest of Cliff's note. And please continue to pray for Cliff, Megan and Joel as they grieve the loss of a wonderful wife and mom. I am missing Jill already.

This is such a difficult post to write. Here are few updates from the weekend on my friend Jill Hollis who has ALS:

Saturday: Jill is not doing very well. she is struggling more and more to breathe. she is fatigued constantly. she is having more difficulty speaking. she is losing strength quickly. she is battling infection and sores. her body is tired.

Sunday: more than likely, this is the beginning of the end for jill. she probably has an upper respiratory infection. she is on antibiotics, and her fever finally broke. however, our main concern at this point is keeping her comfortable. cliff read all of your comments and emails aloud to her today. she cried & cried bittersweet tears. thank you for your kind words, and your prayers, and your thoughts.

Monday: there's not really anything new to add. this is beyond difficult for us. all of your comments and emails have reached our ears, and some have made it to hers. we're sure all of your words & thoughts & prayers are reaching her spirit. it's hard to know how much longer she has, but her time seems to be growing shorter. we will continue to keep you posted.

love,
cliff, megan, & joel

All I can do is cry Father. This is way too hard for me. I cannot imagine what it is like for Cliff or Jill's children. Please minister peace to Jill and her family. Help Jill in these final days. Thank you for the way that she represents you every day. Thank you for the impact that she has made on my life with her courage.

about the blog

Jesus said "My house will be called a house of prayer". In like manner we think of this as a blog of prayer. Each day our prayer bloggers purpose to share a thought, offer up a prayer and give readers a chance to pray with us, offer comments and prayer requests.

about prayer

Anyone who is having troubles should pray. Anyone who is happy should sing praises. Anyone who is sick should call the church's elders. They should pray for and pour oil on the person in the name of the Lord. And the prayer that is said with faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will heal that person. And if the person has sinned, the sins will be forgiven. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so God can heal you. When a believing person prays, great things happen. (James 5:13-16 NCV)